The Last Ed
by DavinciDaSecond
Summary: A extended and revamped version of the Ed, Edd n Eddy episode, "The Eds Are Coming".  My first story, so try not to be too critical, please.
1. Apocalypse Now

Ed was hiding in his dimly lit room with the others, desperately scrambling for tactics and methods that could keep them all alive for another day. He found these useful methods, surprisingly, in his own comic books, which consisted of monsters, aliens, and evil entities. Reading them used to be just a hobby, when Ed wanted to get away from the boring and judgmental world he took part in. Now, they were his only chance of survival.

When everything was normal, as Eddy thought up ways to con kids of their cash, as Double D occupied with himself with the wonders of science, Ed subconsciously prepared himself for the impending apocalypse by immersing himself into his comic books, thumbing through pages full of graphic and downright stomach-turning storytelling. Everyone around him didn't understand, and didn't try to. Everyone immediately thought that reading them was nothing more than a waste of time, that they were books only good for rotting away one's brain cells. Even Ed knew-or thought- this as well. But they were so, so wrong.

The entire catastrophe commenced on a snowy, bitterly cold morning. Every kid in the cul-de-sac dressed in multiple layers and bundled themselves with heavy jackets, knit hats, scarves, sweaters, two layers of socks, and boots. Ed was with Rolf, playing with chickens and voluntarily helping Rolf with the yard work before it was time to go to school. "Okay little chickens" Ed said, "it's time to go into your cages before Rolf gets mad. But don't worry friends, I'll be back to play once school is over! Then I can feed you pieces of buttered toast with –"

"Ed-boy!" Rolf yelled. "Do not pester with Rolf's fouls!" Rolf's scolding was followed by the appearance of a 7 and a half foot tall slender, crimson red reptile-like humanoid, with scales around its entire body, curved spikes poking from its forearms and backbone, yellow eyes, and razor sharp teeth. Even though Rolf was the tallest kid in the cul-de-sac and standing over six feet, this creature easily made him look like a dwarf. The creature also had a radiating body temperature that could be felt meters away. Ed, shocked by the sudden emergence, yelled in horror.

Rolf felt the air go blazing hot and turned around just in time to catch the foreign creature swipe for his head. Rolf ducked, and lost his knit hat in narrowly missing the blow that could have very well been fatal. The knit hat lay on the snow, sporting holes and rips from the creature's clawed hands.

"Run Ed-boy! Run for your no-good life!" Rolf hysterically yelled as he pushed Ed to the front of the house and into the front entrance. Without delay, Rolf then shut and locked the door behind them. Ed hid in the last place he thought the demon would look: the fireplace. Rolf fled to his father's closet, full of weapons. He promptly took a spiked hammer, the weapon he was most familiar with, stuck himself to the side of the door and waited for the monster to come through.

The creature broke through the door with its powerful feet, also breaking parts of the wall from which the door's hinges were. Rolf came from the side and bashed the monster over its head with the hammer. As the monster gripped its temple in pain, Rolf executed a second strike, with upward stroke, and the monster backed up to the outside of Rolf's house. Rolf took a look at his weapon and marveled at the fact that the monster did not show any signs of severe injury, yet the hammer's shaft was about to break in half. Despite this, Rolf charged towards the crimson menace with a battle cry, ready to strike again.

However, the creature anticipated his attack and dodged the blow. Angry, the creature sprouted its underarm wings, and flew upwards. It vacuumed into its lungs an enormous amount of air, used its high body temperature to heighten the temperature of the air, and bellowed it back at Rolf's yard, melting all the snow and blowing Rolf back into his living room. The monster landed back onto the yard, with a menacing grin, and jumped back into the house.

As every child stepped outside their home, they observed a small flying object, followed by a blast near Rolf's house that completely melted the ice and snow. Ed was in that blast, along with Rolf.

As Double D went to investigate Rolf's yard, along with all the other children, they found that the temperature in Rolf's farm and yard sparked from 5 to over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. All the children promptly removed anything keeping them warm; Eddy even went bare-chested. "Jesus, I'm frying like an egg here", the shortest Ed complained.

"This is so strange", the most intelligent Ed mused. "How can the temperature change so drastically from one area to the next?"

As Edd moved closer to Rolf's home, a green light, in the shape of some sort of ball, shot straight out of the house's chimney and traveled from the crowd's location to the nearby playground, crashing into the ground with a small explosion.

Arriving at the crater, the children observed the pulsating, radiating green rock. A hand broke though the rock, prompting the entire cul-de-sac to panic. A few moments later, to everyone's surprise and relief, it was Ed who emerged from the crater, exhausted and terrified. When Ed explained what happened (in a way that only Ed would), everyone scurried to a nearby and safe house to gather supplies and kill the fiend that invaded their home.

They gathered at the front of Rolf's house, ready to fight whatever this hostile thing was. The front door was destroyed, only a rectangular opening remained, along with some of the wall torn away. They noticed that smoke was being emitted from the opening where the front door was, and then, suddenly, heard a terrifying growl that made their bones shiver and all the hairs on their bodies stand on end.

"What the hell was that?" Eddy asked panic-stricken. He was answered with the burnt corpse of Rolf flying from the front door to the grass on the yard.

All the children screamed and were frightened. Only Kevin and Ed kept their composure. Although they were mostly calm, the look on Ed's face indicated intense fear; Kevin's face indicated anger, sadness, and fear. Anger regarding the fact that his closest friend was charred to a crisp, sadness regarding the fact that nothing would be the same without him, and fear that he, along with the rest of the kids, would share the same fate as Rolf.

"This thing ain't gonna get away with this! Let's get rid of this thing once and for all!" Kevin said. The monster stepped out of Rolf's house, and all of the children beheld the monstrosity that menacingly stepped towards them.

The kids, armed with their pots, pans, household appliances, and whatever they could find, stood, frightened, but with a resolve to destroy the demon that approached them. Despite this, they were fatally unprepared.

And it was because of this that it all went wrong…

Little did the children know, the demon they faced was not only stronger than all of them, it also had friends. It emitted a shrieking cry from, the exact opposite of the booming, low wavelength that was its roar. Moments later, the kids heard the same cry from above, and as they looked up, the saw two more monsters flying in the sky. They landed beside their comrade, each looking different from the other. One towered over the others, it could have been maybe nearly nine feet tall, and it had large muscles pulsing from its limbs. One was leaner than the rest, and about the same height as the one who killed Rolf.

The kids still outnumbered the demons, but numbers didn't matter at this point. One could rip all of the kids to pieces by itself, but surviving in a fight with three of them would be completely, utterly impossible. The kids could opt to run away, but these giants could not be outrun. Despite this, every single kid ran for their lives. Running on pure adrenaline, some sprinted faster than many on the Peach Creek track team.

But there was no escape.


	2. Aftermath

The Last Ed

Chapter 2 - Aftermath

Two years later, Ed secluded himself with Kevin, Jonny, and Double D in an underground shelter in which Double D had planned. The underground shelter resembled the shelters that the Vietnamese utilized for their guerilla warfare tactics during the Vietnam War. It had a series of small tunnels that made travel from room to room possible. There were a few bedrooms, a kitchen, and a few other spaces filled with necessities and supplies. The exit of the shelter which also served as an entrance, was right beneath an old outhouse. This facilitated the guerilla warfare methods that the group often employed.

The invasion wiped out almost all of Peach Creek's population. Nazz was killed, along with Sarah and Jimmy. The Kankers were also killed, as Ed and the others found their dismembered bodies a day after they narrowly escaped the initial attack. Eddy was nowhere to be found, and no one was sure whether he was dead or alive. Through the years the survivors lived off of food from everyone else's houses, as well as protein powder provided by Kevin. Both Kevin and Rolf's fathers had weapons and ballistic protection in case of emergency, and the survivors also used this for self defense. But as the faction's number stayed the same, the group of the demon army sparked up to the thousands.

The ordeal had its toll on the survivors. All those who lived hardened physically and emotionally.

The daily physical activity that was demanded made Ed a fighting machine. He grew much stronger and faster, and was physically the strongest man on the team. He also grew somewhat smarter, since, in many circumstances, he needed to think quickly. So far, Ed and the group had killed many of the demons. There was an instance where Ed even killed one alone, although barely. He was the 'secret weapon' of the faction.

Kevin was the unofficial leader of the group. His leadership skills helped the squad survive many circumstances that many would deem impossible to survive. Already athletic, Kevin had no problem adapting to the physically tiring situations that often presented themselves.

Jonny was the fastest and most agile in the group. It was usually him who would be sent to gather necessities, such as food, ammo, and other supplies. This also made him a superior spy and intelligence gatherer, as he would usually-on Double D's request-record videos and take pictures to gather the necessary data, unknown to the invaders.

Double D was obviously the brains behind the whole faction. Without him, the group wouldn't be able to survive for more than a week. He was able to point out the strengths and weaknesses of the creatures. A superior analyst, and through his knowledge of the anatomy, he was able to point out possible weak spots the demons had, and was usually correct in his conclusions, making it much easier to destroy them. He was also proficient at treating wounds and diseases, though he was limited by the lack of supplies that were scattered around Peach Creek and the surrounding towns. However, he grew more physically able as well. Though it took him the longest to adapt to the physically demanding activities that were necessary, he became adept in hand-to-hand combat and in his ability to use various weapons. He rivaled Kevin in running speed and agility, and became much stronger than Jonny.

Though the situation fortified the young men physically, the trauma brought about by the occurrences haunted the remaining kids to no end.

Ed moved his comic books to the underground shelter in order to keep himself sane, as well as to use methods for surviving the disaster, but could not keep the horrid series of events, specifically the death of his beloved little sister and Rolf, as well as the disappearance of Eddy, out of his mind. Because of this, he often cried himself to sleep and sometimes could not be communicated with. Jonny was no longer the carefree, peaceful soul he once was. He became an angry, hostile young man, and only held friendly conversations with Ed and sometimes Double D. Jonny still had Plank, after all these years, but they barely spoke to each other. In fact, Jonny on more than two occasions threatened to use Plank as firewood. Kevin became more of an ass than usual, threatened to kill his own teammates on several occasions and often attempted suicide. The only thing keeping Double D going was his best friend Ed. But he missed Eddy and Nazz, and also often contemplated taking his own life as well when experiencing constant emotional or mental breakdowns.

More than anything, though, the crew wondered who created these monsters, and where they came from. The creatures weren't quite as intelligent as humans, but were capable of speech, although they didn't speak English or any other recognizable modern language on Earth. Kevin assumed that they were aliens, Jonny thought they were ancient creatures that were woken up because of global warming, and Edd believed that they could have been the product of either an accidental experiment or the creations of a madman, through bioengineering. The strangest aspect of these creatures however, was that the creatures who attacked them bore a striking resemblance to the creatures featured in Evil Tim comic books, which were Ed's favorite to read. According to the books, these creatures came from Hades, minions controlled by Evil Tim. Because of this coincidence, Ed believed that the creatures did in fact come from Hades and were under this tyrant's control. Although the rest of the group also noticed that the creatures looked like the ones in Evil Tim, they saw it only as a quirk. The monsters were real, but Evil Tim couldn't be; he was, in fact, nothing more than a fictional character. Or was he? What if, by chance, he could be real? What if, by chance, the monsters that killed half the kids in the cul-de-sac didn't get there by themselves, that they were under a higher power? The possibility of this couldn't be that far off. However, the thought of that was immensely frightening to the group, which is presumably the reason why no one except Ed wanted to believe it.

But where they came from, why, it didn't matter. Not at the moment. What only mattered at the moment was survival, and to find others who were as lucky as the boys were, if there were any. The boys were strong, stronger and faster than most in even the national military, but not invincible. They could by chance be severely injured or even killed. In case such an event occurred, they needed backup, reinforcements. They needed more scouts, such as Jonny, more strongmen, such as Ed, more leaders, such as Kevin, and more brains, such as Double D. It was mostly luck that got them to this point, and at any moment, fate could and would turn on them.

So with Double D's expertise in planning, they devised a strategy that would keep them alive and efficient while searching for other survivors.

Double D explained the approach to which they would execute the operation, with a map, pointing the direction in which they would proceed. . "We'll be moving on foot in a straight line. Kevin, you'll be in the front, Ed, you'll be at the back. We'll be moving about five miles over to the neighboring town, Stonehill. If we find any survivors, we'll choose one of us to escort them while the rest cover him. Be ready for anything gentlemen. Stonehill is highly infested with these monsters. My breakdown of the population indicates that there is at least three times the number of monsters present in Peach Creek. Therefore, we should be exceptionally cautious when we enter the town. If we're not vigilant, there's a big chance some of us won't make it back." Edd was particularly cautious and pessimistic today.

Kevin continued the briefing. "If the situation calls for it, we'll split up into two groups. Ed, you'll be with Double D," which Ed agreed with a nod, "and Johnny, you'll be with me."

"Understood." Jonny simply replied.

"Okay. Get anything you need ready. We'll be on ground level in half an hour."


	3. We're Not Alone

Chapter 3 – We're Not Alone

Everyone gathered everything they would need and climbed up to ground level. They proceeded to crouch-walk in a straight line to the town border, to keep themselves out of plain sight. The last thing they needed was a tiring fight that would wear them out before they got to Stonehill.

Stonehill was a beautiful town. It was filled with magnificent suburban residencies that were distinctly unique to each other, a bakery, multiple schools, a library, and a playground that outclassed Peach Creek's, although their candy store could not compare. Edd always went there with his family, either to visit his grandparents, or just to indulge in the town's increasing beauty during winter. Every other kid at least visited Peach Creek's neighboring town once.

The boys walked through places where they would be hard to spot, and scurried through tall grass and weeds. Since no one was able to cut the grass anymore because of the demon invasion, a well-trimmed backyard was rare, that is, if any were present. But, at the same time, no trimmed yards meant more hiding places, which was beneficial to the group.

In about half an hour, the group crossed town borders and entered the town. Stonehill had become a shadow of its former self. All of the young men remember visiting this town numerous times, and never have they seen it in such awful condition. Nearly every home was reduced to scrap wood, as the residencies had broken windows, doors, and roofs. Some houses were literally torn in half. Others were burnt beyond recognition. All the stores and structures were barely recognizable. The park was demolished, with even a few corpses littering the ground. Most of the trees were black and leafless from being burnt to a crisp. The grass grew tall across the yards and the cracks in the pavement. The suburban beauty they knew was reduced to a hellish jungle. The young men could do nothing except gaze in horror and dismay.

"My God…" Double D whispered in awe. "I can't believe this. This is ten times worse than Peach Creek."

"You're tellin' me…" Kevin responded. "I knew this place wouldn't be like it was years ago, but Jesus… I never imagined it like this."

"There's no way anyone could be alive in this mess." Jonny said. "What if this place is just a landfill for corpses? I doubt we'll find anybody here." The pessimism got the best of him.

"We have to try." Ed retorted sharply. "What if there are people here? We can't just let them die."

"I concur" said Edd. "If there is a chance that there are survivors here, then we must do everything we can to ensure their wellbeing."

Kevin nodded in consensus. "We'll look into some empty shops and houses. I say we split up, if we find anything, we come back to this intersection between Maguire Lane and Smith Street. Even if you don't find anything of interest, it's best we come back here after checking a building, just in case any of those baddies show up, or if you have any intel."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Oh, I almost forgot", Edd said while reaching into his pocket. "Take these earpieces with you. Just in case any of us require urgent assistance." Each team member fit the earpieces in their ears.

"Okay. Break."

The young men split into two groups before wishing each other good luck and began checking residences one by one. Ed and Edd proceeded to examine a nearby townhouse. The front door was demolished, as were the windows.

"Come on, Double D", Ed, "let's check".

The inside of the house stank to high heavens and was as hot as being inside a furnace. They searched the main living room, where dried blood covered the majority of the walls and decorations and broken appliances were littered onto the floor. There were cracked picture frames, burnt furniture; everything was laid to waste. The kitchen was in similar shape, with the stove oven looking as if it had suffered an explosion.

"Let us inspect the rooms upstairs" Edd suggested.

The two Eds walked slowly and quietly up the stairs and searched in the nearest room to the staircase.

This room was obviously the parents room. Though mostly destroyed, Edd and Ed could tell that it used to be a beautiful room, and there were countless of littered pictures showing the parents with their three children, along with the king-sized bed. The tallest and oldest was a young woman of the age of around 16 or 17, with her younger twin brothers looking as if they were around the age of 14. For some reason, this was the most recognizable picture they could find. In every other picture, a face could be made out, yet it was almost entirely singed. They went to inspect the neighboring room, which seemed to be the boys' room. Nothing was there, except two beds that were burned. Both Edd and Ed found this strange.

The boys then entered the final room, which was the oldest daughter's. There was a broken mirror, a multitude of undergarment items on the floor, and a few pictures scattered across the area. They were pictures of herself and her family. They checked the room's closet, and it seemed to be untouched. All her clothes and garments were present and undamaged.

The two Eds went back down to the living room, to double-check and triple-check for any possible survivors. But near the back door, parallel to the kitchen, was another door that the two did not look over. Ed slowly opened the door, revealing a downwards staircase.

"A basement", Edd supposed. "Ed, look."

Ed looked down the dark staircase and took out the flashlight in his pocket. Ed went down first and his friend followed. The stairs were made of rotting wood and creaked loudly with each step the two Eds made.

"Ugh… this must be the source of the nauseating odor. It seemed to get worse once we got so close to this chamber," Edd said in disgust.

"I wonder what's making it smell so bad in here," Ed said while holding his nose. He shined his flashlight all over the room until he found the source.

"Good Lord…" Edd gasped.

Two decomposing corpses were in the corner of the basement, one of a male, one of a female. Tears filled Ed's eyes, threatening to fall, while Edd stared at the bodies in gloom.

"They look like they've been dead for months." Edd estimated, while approaching the corpses.  
"And, if I'm not mistaken there seems to be a note in one of their hands."

Edd crouched down, gently took the piece of paper and read what was written. He read aloud:

"Dear mom and dad,

It's so hard to leave you two, but I know you're sending us away for our own good. To be honest, I'd rather die with you then let you suffer alone, but I know you won't let me. Thank you for all you've done for us and know that even as we're gone, I'll think about you every day. I know that I haven't always been grateful and that most of the time I've taken advantage of you guys, but I want you two to know that I love you more than anything. I hope you find this note and keep it, so that you'll miss us less. Take care of each other with the little time you have, and I promise to take care of Eric and Nicholas.

Your Daughter, Gabrielle."

Emotion nearly overwhelmed Double D, but he knew that there was no time for crying, especially considering that there was still hope. Ed stood beside his friend and gently put his hand on Edd's shoulder.

"We're not alone Ed," Double D said. "Even in the midst of all this tragedy, there is still time to turn this series of events around. If these three are still alive somewhere, we can't give up just yet."

Ed nodded, somewhat uncertain, but finding comfort in Double D's words.

After searching a few more houses with little findings, soon enough the group met again at the intersection between Maguire Lane and Smith Street.

"So, did you fellas have as much luck as us?" Kevin inquired.

"I don't know," Ed replied. "Whadya find?"

"Zilch. What about you?"

"This note," Edd said in answer to Kevin's question. Kevin took a few seconds to read it.

"So, you're saying that we should look into this?"

"It will increase our likelihood of continued existence, if anything," Edd replied.

"I'm with Double D," Ed agreed.

"Well, it couldn't hurt." Kevin said. "But if what Double Dip said earlier about the amount of baddies that are here is true, then we shouldn't take any unnecessary risks."

Suddenly, a demon appeared on the top of a building, prompting the entire team to take out their assault rifles and lay in the tall grass.

"Stay still and shut up!" Kevin anxiously whispered.

The demon jumped off the building to ground level and began scoping the environment for any intruders. The team heard the footsteps and then a screech from a second demon.

Kevin slowly picked his head up and moved his finger to the trigger, knowing that sooner or later, he and the rest would be detected. Kevin signaled to Jonny with his fingers, and Jonny put his finger on the trigger as well. Jonny then signaled to Edd and Ed, who nodded in accordance.

The footsteps grew louder as time passed, and the group waited in apprehensive anticipation that seemed like an eternity. And then -

"FIRE!" Kevin screamed.

Both Jonny and Kevin pulled the triggers and bullets went flying to the demons as they heard Kevin's cry. They turned around just in time to be hit. However, the hard scales protected the demons' bodies, leaving them virtually unscathed. Kevin, nonetheless, did not let up.

"Keep firing Jonny!" Kevin pleaded. Jonny complied silently by continuing the assault. Though the firing did not hurt the demons too severely, it at least slowed them down enough for the two Eds to execute their plan.

"Ed!" Double D called out. "Did you bring the chain?"

"Sure did!" Ed said as he pulled out his 6-foot-long titanium chain that he and Edd forged. The two wrapped the chain around their wrists and rushed into the fray.

"Kevin!" Jonny cried, "I'm out of ammo!" Kevin looked worried at first, but looked to the back of him and saw the two Eds coming to their rescue.

"It's alright Jonny" Kevin said as he brought his finger off the trigger and ceased fire.

Thinking that this would be their chance to strike, the demons charged to Jonny and Kevin. But just before they were able to touch either of them, the Eds jumped in front of the fiends and broke into opposite directions, causing the two demons to run into the titanium chain. The Eds then ran towards each other and crossed each other's path before wrapping the chain around the monsters' necks. The demons were left gasping for air. Had the chain been made of steel, the demons could easily break out of it, but since the titanium had tenfold the hardness and durability of steel, the beasts were left defenseless.

"Do it quickly gentlemen!" Edd said with urgency.

Jonny and Kevin took this opportunity and pulled out their respective tanto knives, weapons that Double D also forged out of titanium. They didn't have much time, as the beasts writhed and convulsed with great vigor and force to get free despite their predicament; and Edd was starting to run out of strength to hold them down.

Jonny and Kevin stuck their respective blades into each demon's weak spot: the abdomen. This caused the two fiends to convulse even more vigorously, but fortunately could not vocalize their need for assistance as they were being strangled. They sliced open the bodies until the knives reached the demons' respective hearts, and in a moment they were reduced to lifeless corpses.

"Nice work, guys", Kevin said, with pride in his teammates.

"Um… Kevin. I feel the time for praise may call for a proverbial 'rain check'," Double D replied, while pointing his finger in the air.

"What do you me—oh, shit…."

Kevin could see around nine, ten demons up in the sky. Soon after spotting the flying monstrosities, a screech warned the team that the demons had found _them_.

"No way…" said Ed. "There are so many!"

"What do we do now?" Jonny asked frantic and shaken right before the demons landed on the pavement. They quickly circled around the group, hissing and growling, like a pride of lions ready to pounce on a cornered herd. The survivors were left powerless and vulnerable. In their dilemma, it seemed that it was only a matter of moments until they met their end.

"Any bright ideas, guys?" Jonny asked. "Double D?"

"I was wary of this. We cannot retreat, nor can we survive by fighting them off, not when there are so few of us and so many of them" Double D replied, looking worried.

"Kevin?" Jonny was desperate to find a way -_any _way—to escape his and his teammates seemingly inevitable fate.

But Kevin could not respond. He was usually the one who could get his friends out of any hopeless situation, but in these circumstances, it was particularly unfeasible.

"_We've fought four of them at one time before but _ten?" Kevin said in his thoughts. "_This is impossible!_"

Suddenly, rapid gunfire assaulted the demons in front of the team, causing them to fall into disorientation. The would-be victims looked at each other in surprise; it wasn't any of them who pulled the trigger, for they had nearly given up.

"Looks like you'll need some help, shovel-chin."

Kevin heard the playful insult 'shovel-chin' and quickly turned around to retort, but then, when he ran phrase through his head again, there was a familiarity. Not just the term 'shovel-chin', the voice was familiar as well. Much deeper and much more gruff, but unmistakably-

"No way…" Kevin whispered in awe.


	4. The More Things Change

Chapter 4 – The More Things Change

"Looks like you'll need some help, shovel-chin." The others also heard this mysterious individual's playful insult towards Kevin. Ed and Double D both looked at each other and then behind them.

Each word hit Edd like a hurricane as he realized who it was that just saved their lives.

It couldn't be. And yet it was. His voice was unmistakable, his timing no less flashy and attention-grabbing than the much shorter friend he spent so many years with, along with Ed.

Edd couldn't help but go back, thoughts and memories flooding his head as he heard a familiar voice from the silhouette in the distance … 

_It was a beautiful, starry night in the cul-de-sac. Still in the middle of July, the Napoleonic, self-proclaimed leader of the Eds had once again concocted a scam to raise more money. This time, he had the oh so _brilliant _idea of starting a bike dealership. In the break of dawn. At 5:30 a.m._

_An eye roll was almost involuntary for Double D as he seethed at the prospect of once again, taking the burden of hard work, and a inconvenient time, no less, while Eddy did the smooth talking. He loved spending time with his two best friends, but nothing annoyed him more than having to carry the brunt of each scam along with Ed, who in contrast didn't seem to mind that much, looking as if he was up most of the night watching TV anyway. _

_"_Lovable oaf …" _Edd thought. He wondered if Ed ever felt the same way about having to endure borderline slave labor for their friend's sake. Then again, he also had to wonder if Ed ever even thought about much else than monster movies and buttered toast. _

_"Ed is ready for duty, sir!" exclaimed the excited Ed, as he effortlessly carried a cabinet's worth of kitchenware and appliances for Double D to assemble. Double D had a mix of horror and surprise on his face as Ed slammed the materials down on Eddy's front lawn._

_"And what am I supposed to do with all this, Eddy?!"_

_"What does it look like, Sockhead? Build one of those fancy things, with your fancy, uh … Whaddya call 'em? Bluewrites."_

_Double D sighed. "Blue_prints, _Eddy."_

_"Whatever. Just make it look good, look real, ya know? That's all."Eddy put on the 'charm' and the 'dashing' smile, just for Double D. Little did the shortest Ed know (although it was painfully obvious), Eddy's efforts to cheer his friend up ultimately left Double D unimpressed. _

_"Of course." Edd deadpanned. _

_"Great!" Eddy smiled, satisfied. "I'm gonna get some shuteye, fellas. Wake me up in 6 hours."_

_"WHAT?!"_

_Ten hours later, Double D had not too long ago assembled the last 'bike' in the dealership. Double D couldn't remember a time where he was more exhausted and frustrated until this point. Eddy instead thought this idea was foolproof, and couldn't remember a time he was more excited about conning another kid out of his money. _

_If anything, Double D had to admit that these scams did usually attract customers, however disillusioned they would become after trying their tackily constructed products. _

_Nevertheless, it turned out that 'Crazy Ed's Custom Hot Bikes' failed miserably. Not that Edd was surprised. After the first (and only) customer of the day naively bought into the scam because of his love for bikes, it quickly went downhill after Eddy idiotically allowed the neighborhood jock a test drive._

_"What's with him?" Eddy said incredulously, after being threatened by Kevin_. _"I did everything my dad does, how come he sells stuff? Maybe it's the tie."_

_"Well, it certainly couldn't be that we manufactured the bike from HAND-ME-DOWN KITCHENWARE!" Double D retorted, frustration practically seeping through his pores in the form of sweat. "Ten hours of hard work! And for what?!"_

_"To fleece the masses!" Ed said randomly and with little relevance to the situation at hand. _

_"Check's in the mail, Ed."_

_Eddy thought this slightly amusing which angered Double D even more and provoked him into continuing his tirade._

"_It's the same thing! Day in and day out! It's so monotonous! A pipe dream, at best."_

_"You are not alone friend. I dream of pipes too."_

_Both Eddy and Double D couldn't help but roll their eyes at another extraneous statement from Ed."_

_"Boy Ed, who'd have thought?" Eddy said sarcastically._

Edd would have given anything for that monotony again. For the mundane scamming, for the mainly fruitless pursuit of jawbreakers that made his mouth water at even the thought of them. He would have given anything if it meant having any semblance of a normal life. He would have given anything to escape the hell he'd been living for the past couple of years, where every day was a close call and where every day he was lucky to be alive.

Some days he even wished he wasn't so lucky.

But there he was. The person who haunted him when memories would bleed into his dreams. The person who he would talk of with Ed and daydream of days long past. The person he dreamt of playing cribbage with, when they were all well into their golden years, with wives, children, and grandchildren. The one person he had missed the most during these turbulent, hellish two years.

"No fucking way!" Kevin said, astonished.

It was the one and only Eddy. The smart-mouthed, obnoxious boy with a reputation of concocting and committing endless schemes. And behind him, were a faction of six or more allies, looking as if they were ready to tear the monsters apart with their bare hands. Edd smiled, relieved and overjoyed, and Ed was on the verge of bursting in tears. Johnny could only look on with a visage of utter shock.

Without another word, Eddy rushed into the fray, and his gang swiftly followed. With their sudden intrusion on the assault that would have been fatal to Kevin's team, they rebels altogether not only outnumbered the beasts, but quickly overpowered them. The group of ten beasts dwindled – almost pathetically – to four, and the surviving brutes quickly took flight, away from the pumped humans. Double D, however, using most of his energy, was exhausted.

Eddy walked up to his long-lost friend. "I thought you could use some help, old pal." And, with a genuine smile extended a hand to help Edd up from the ground. Edd, with tears welling up in his eyes, gratefully accepted Eddy's gesture and stood up to get a good look at the dear friend he thought he would never see again. "I must be dreaming…" said Edd, dumbfounded. Eddy was almost as tall as Edd, not quite, but the gap between their respective heights spanned only several inches, and it was obvious through his defined physique that he became much stronger. Eddy now wore a helmet, which resembled an army helmet, and seemed to have something similar to a flak jacket strapped on him. He also had on cargo pants and grey running sneakers, which was an odd addition to his army-like appearance, but seemed to work for him.

"No Sockhead, I wouldn't let you die if I was real." Eddy said with a smirk, and pinched Double D for good measure, if for nothing else, simply because Edd's face just yelled out "Pinch me! I'm dreaming!" . Edd just ignored the smart remark – and the pinch- to just take this moment in.

"Oh, Eddy..." breathed Double D, who then quickly pulled his dear friend in an overdue embrace, was over the moon. "You don't know just how happy I am to see you." Ed covered his two best friends like a blanket as the trio was reunited. Tears silently fell down each of their faces as they relished in the moment.. Kevin and Johnny just patiently and respectfully looked on, with a solemn look on Kevin's face; Jonny's lips curved into a sad little smile.

They had a lot of catching up to do.


End file.
